Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-01-17
GROWTH OF THE DEMOCRATIC IDEA.

GROWTH OF THE DEMOCRATIC IDEA.
Emperor William, of Germany, is not
alone in dissolving Parliament that re-
; fuses to indorse the schemes of the crown.
1t is somewhat remarkable that in Ger
many and in Denmark almost identi-
cally similar political events should
occur at the same time. Christian
TX, aided by Estrup, the Dam
ish Premier, has taken the legislative
body of Denmark by the neck and heels
and bundled it out of Office for refusing to
vote the items of the Crown budget. These
sums had been protested against by the
opposition in the Folkething prior to the
debts being incurred, for which payment is
now ordered The deficit is 81, $50, 305, the
expenses itemized in the budget being
ST., 1861 ,115, and the revenue of the king
dom but $14,S30,S16. The Constitution
provides that in cases of great emergency,
the Ministry may make provisional laws
and use Government money for State pur-
poses until Parliament convenes Last
summer the lower house of that body
manifested its indisposition to foot the bills
Of the Estrup ministry. Thereupon King
Christian dissolved the Parliament, ard ac
once decreed that an emergency existed
for ministerial action and the Ministry de-
creed the budget" and drew the money
from the treasury to build Notifications
and organize new corps of gendarmerie,
etc. This gendarmerie is sort of mill
tary police established within year,
ostensibly to conserve public order, really
TO prevent the open manifestations of
the growth of democratic ideas. In
October the new legislative body
met, the Folkething having eighty-fve
Liberals, fifteen Conservatives and two So
cialists. 1t was anti-Estrup, as had been
its predecessor The "budget" was laid
before it, and the popular voice, which has
repeatedly demanded the removal of Es-
trup, determined, pugnacious and wealthy
aristocrat, whose contempt for the peas
antry and middle classes is undisguised.
has again refused to ratify the Premier's
schemes, and again has the Danish Parlia-
ment been knocked about the ears of the
people. This Parliament-the Rigsdag
is made up Of two bodies, the Lands
thing, the Senate or aristocratic and
wealthy branch, the friend of the
Ministry and the Crown, and the Folke-
thing, which is representative of all
the people. For eleven years, ever since
Estrup came to power, the Folkething has
been opposed to his schemes, and this pro-
cess of refusal to obey and of dissolution
has gone on over and over again with
the same result. A new election is to be
held next week, the 2Sth, and it is safe to
say the people will send up anti-Ministerial
repres entatives again. Sooner or later
crisis must arise, when the people will re-
volt, however clearly they may realize
what the result may be. 1t can have but
one ending in this century. The King,
backed by Germany, will be able to crush
the rebels, and the popular voice will be
drowned by the roar of cannon, and the
popular will be nuilified by the bayonet.
But the time must come when all these
things will cease and the will of the
governed be the only charter of right upon
which the governing class can base their
claims-either this or decadence of civil
ization, and the latter is unthinkable.
The progress of the democratic idea, and
the staying quality of the people, are
significantly indicated in the persistency
with which the Folkething is packed with
Liberals, and the very meager showing the
Conservatives find it possible to make.
The Danes are patient and slow to anger,
but some day there will be new Consti-
tuition and the royal decree, even in the
vacation of the Rigsdag, will be made
subordinate to the representative legisla-
tive body. That will be the first step
toward true democracy. Germany will
not be able to prevent this outcome; by
that time she will have quite enough to
do to look after the like democratic forces
in her own composition. England will
not venture to lend the Crown aid to pre-
vent liberalizing process that has
already been engrafted upon her political,
system, has grown stronger and broader
year by year, until recognition of the
Crown has become a mere form
and Ministries dissolve before the faint
est breath of popular 6isfavor.
" As matters stand" says an intelligent
Danish Liberal, writing to this paper, all
that withholds US from action is the fact
that we know any revolt now wonld result
in Germany throwing military corps
into our country and crushing us When
Bismarck is gone and the democratic senti-
ment In Germany strong enough to pre-
vent interference with US, We will be able
to come nearer to self-governmcnt.'
The immediate issue in Denmark is inter-
esting to those SO far off as in America,
and its mere statement puts us on the anti |
ministerial side in our sympathetic inter-